In the packaging of certain chemicals and pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer often is required or desires to provide a considerable amount of information concerning the chemical or pharmaceutical. In the case of pharmaceuticals, this is required by government regulations, however, the occasion may also arise, either separate from or in conjunction with government regulations, to provide the doctor, pharmacist or user with instructions on how the product should be used, what the product is, and safety precautions which should be followed in the use of the product. Sometimes the literature, which is generally in the form of folded leaflets, is placed within a box along with the container carrying the chemical or pharmaceutical (referred to as "inserts"). The placement of leaflets within the box is expensive and a cumbersome operation to perform. Also, it is difficult to insure by later inspection that the proper literature has been inserted in the proper package. Almost all products are packaged in outer cartons and many are not compatible with inserts. Further, the use of folded cartons is under scrutiny by environmental groups as involving excessive packaging. In an effort to meet this challenge, many companies are seeking ways to eliminate folding cartons that carry containers inside.
A different approach to solving this problem has developed over the last several years in which the folded literature is releasably attached to the face of the container (referred to as "outserts"), either directly to the container itself, or to a base label which, in turn, is secured to the container. The literature may then be removed by the customer. In such cases, the portion of the label remaining must carry both an "identification" of the product (for example, information such as trademark or manufacturer) as well as certain "statutory information" (for example, lot number and expiration date).
Thus, in order to meet the objectives of such labeling techniques, certain criteria must be met. First of all, the portion of the label which remains after the folded literature product is removed should contain both the identification of the product and the statutory information concerning the lot number and expiration date. Further, after the literature leaflet is assembled or affixed to the base label, the indicated area for statutory information concerning lot number and expiration date should be accessible for stamping or printing by the pharmaceutical company and visible to the consumer. The folded leaflet portion remains affixed to the label portion until the customer (doctor, pharmacist, consumer) desires its removal. It is critical that the proper literature must be affixed to the proper base label. Finally, all of the above criteria must be accomplished in a manufacturing technique that insures quality and is cost-effective.
Examples of labels designed to eliminate the separate base panel are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,207,746 and 5,263,743, each to Jones, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,382 to Grosskopf et al., the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. While these labels and similar known label constructions are well suited for many applications, they suffer from certain significant drawbacks and limitations in manufacture, application, use and functionality.
Grosskopf et al. '382 discloses a label including a multiple panel leaflet and a laminate cover coextensive with the label. The leaflet includes an extended flap over which indicia such as the lot and expiration date of an associated product may be printed. A tear strip is positioned opposite the extended flap and a tear line is formed in the laminate cover adjacent the extended flap. It has been found that, when the user opens the label by means of the tear strip and pulls the laminate cover and title panel of the leaflet toward the extended flap, there is a tendency for portions of the laminate cover overlying the extended flap and portions of the extended flap to be torn away with the portion of the laminate cover which is intended to be removed. In doing so, critical indicia printed on or over the extended flap may be removed from the product or product packaging.
Self-adhesive labels are commonly applied to curved substrates (e.g., bottles) by applying a first end and continuously wiping on, rolling on or otherwise applying the remainder of the label until the opposite end is secured. Often, there is a tendency for the adhesive to be "squeezed" toward the second end. This results in an excessive, localized collection of adhesive which, when the label is fully applied, tends to ooze out from beneath the label. The oozed adhesive may degrade the functionality or aesthetics of the label and the associated product or packaging.
Thus, there exists a need for a label which provides for the securement of important indicia to an object such that removal of a portion of the label, for example portions of a leaflet or a laminate cover, will not tend to result in the removal of the important indicia. There also exists a need for an adhesive-type label which minimizes the tendency for the adhesive to ooze from beneath the label when the label is applied to a curved substrate such as a bottle. There exists an additional need for such labels which include multiple panel, extended text leaflets and protective laminate covers. Furthermore, there exists a need for methods for forming such labels which satisfy the regulations and safety concerns associated with the manufacture of labels for pharmaceuticals, chemicals and the like.